Sergio Garcia has said sorry after being at the centre of a race storm following an insulting comment about Tiger Woods at the European Tour Player of the Year awards.

The Spaniard was on stage with the rest of his Ryder Cup team-mates when he was light-heartedly asked by the evening’s host, American Steve Sands, if he would be inviting Woods — with whom Garcia has had a long-running feud — for dinner at next month’s US Open in Merion.

Garcia replied: ‘We’ll be having him round every night... and serving him fried chicken.’

He said what? Sergio Garcia (left) said he would 'serve Tiger Woods fried chicken' and later apologised

Fried chicken is generally regarded as a stereotypical food associated with African Americans and the reference is sure to outrage Woods.

Several guests at Tuesday night’s awards dinner were clearly shocked by Garcia’s comment, while one leading Tour professional said: ‘You didn’t hear that’ as he walked past journalists present. The Spaniard understandably looked sheepish as he practised on Wednesday morning.

Garcia did issue an apology through the European Tour in a statement saying: 'I apologise for any offence that may have been caused by my comment on
stage during The European Tour Players' Awards dinner.

'I answered a
question that was clearly made towards me as a joke with a silly remark,
but in no way was the comment meant in a racist manner.'

Sheepish? Garcia's comments about Woods were not well received

Teeing off: Sergio Garcia during the Pro-Am round on the West Course at Wentworth

Focused? Garcia has long had a rivalry with Woods

Practice round: But Garcia will need to be at his best if he is to succeed

Controversy: Garcia is at the centre of a race row over comments made about Tiger Woods

Reply: Tiger Woods took to Twitter to express his displeasure at Sergio Garcia's comments

Asked for his reaction to Garcia's
comment on Twitter, Graeme McDowell wrote: 'private/humor filled
environment but he shouldn't have said it #slip,' while Lee Westwood felt
Woods would not be 'particularly bothered' by it.

'It's an awkward situation where they obviously just don't get on,' Westwood added.

'It's in the public and you guys (the media) will stoke it up and you don't need to.

'I get on with both of them but I have no interest of getting in the middle of that relationship. It's nothing to do with me.'

Garcia’s comments were a distasteful echo of a similar incident involving Woods after he won The Masters in 1997. Previous Augusta winner Fuzzy Zoeller advised the press to tell Woods, whom he described as ‘that little boy’, not to request ‘fried chicken or collard greens or whatever the hell they serve’ at the following year’s Champions’ Dinner.

That incident sparked fury among Woods’ camp. In an initial statement, Zoeller claimed he had been joking but he later issued a full apology to his rival. Zoeller was dropped by two of his sponsors, K-Mart and Dunlop, over the controversy.

Row: Former caddie Steve Williams has also been at the centre of a race row with Woods

In 2011, Woods’ former caddie Steve Williams caused uproar at the annual caddie awards dinner in Shanghai when, asked about his celebration after Adam Scott’s Bridgestone Invitational victory at Akron, Ohio, he said: ‘My aim was to shove it right up that black a*******.’ Williams later apologised and Woods said Williams was ‘certainly not racist’.

Garcia, who makes his first appearance at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth for 11 years, had already had one more dig at Woods after arriving in England.

‘So, Tiger Woods has called me a whiner? He’s probably right,’ he said, before adding: ‘But that’s also probably the first thing he’s told you guys that’s true in the last 15 years.’

It was the fifth or sixth time the toxic pair had clashed. You feel like giving them boxing gloves and telling them to sort it out.

The long-running feud raised its head again at the Players Championship at Sawgrass a fortnight ago and the egos of both are still raised. Asked on Monday whether he felt like ringing Garcia to clear the air, Woods contented himself with an icy, one-word answer. ‘No.’

Partners: Garcia played a practice round with friend Luke Donald

Garcia’s riposte? ‘That’s what he’s like.’

The Spaniard was busy avoiding questions on his tax situation this week — the relaxation of the tax rules in this country for visiting sportsmen is the chief reason that he’s playing — when the man from the Mirror played a blinder.

‘Now Sergio, an easy question: why don’t you like Tiger Woods?’ Garcia loved that. ‘You don’t have to like everyone, do you?’ he said. ‘Do you like everyone in your walk of life? It’s the same with me and Tiger. I don’t need him as a friend. I don’t need him in my life. It is as simple as that.’

The root of their mutual antipathy goes all the way back to 1999. The pair were duelling for the US PGA and the teenage Garcia had the temerity to point across the course at Tiger, as if to challenge him. Twelve months later, the Tiger tail was tweaked again when Garcia celebrated loudly after beating him in an exhibition match.

Since then, it has been all Woods. Right now, for instance, the majors tally stands at 14-0. But there are clear signs that, at 33, some of the old Garcia swagger is returning, and not just for his barbed Woods comments.

You can see his delight at being here with his Ryder Cup team-mates, who pulled off the Medinah miracle last year, in what is likely to be an emotional reunion at the European Tour’s flagship event.